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Post by Bob on Jul 14, 2012 22:24:17 GMT -8
Don't threaten. Doesn't make me write faster. Slower, in fact.
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Post by Dale on Jul 16, 2012 2:43:29 GMT -8
Guess what? I don't care. I'm still gonna do it.
Anyway, yay! Part two, at last!
Wow, that was so not a smart move by Zidane. Kuja's right in that this is not the game for him. Everyone else could've had an easy leg if not for that move. And what's worse, he might've played right into Kuja & Seymour's hands and put himself and Vivi in the other teams' crosshairs. No, wait. No "might've." He did play right into their hands.
Hee. Bob took my suggestion into consideration of possibly proceeding the rest of the way to Rabanastre on foot, even though they couldn't.
Sucks for Fang & Vanille that they didn't get the Express Pass, but it really was their own fault for not taking it the moment it was offered to them on leg one. Now they've wasted their Fast Forward. Though like Fang said, it's not a total loss since at least it fell into the hands of a volatile team rather than a cohesive one.
Of the bottom seven teams, I'm pretty sure Cid & Brother will be fine in spite of Cid being caught by the guards twice. Kuja & Seymour will likely be fine since there's no way the shit-stirring team will leave this soon. Scarlet & Heidegger could go either way, but I think they'll be fine, too (though the Detour is physical, so maybe not). So I'm gonna call a Gabranth & Basch (for their "curse" worries), Laguna & Ellone, Zidane & Vivi, or Edea & Seifer ouster. Unless Zidane does the Roadblock, since it's all about being sneaky, which he can do really well, in which case either Laguna & Ellone or Edea & Seifer will be toast. If Vivi does it, though, then I'm all but calling Zidane & Vivi as toast since it's too soon for an NEL. Unless a big surprise happens at the Detour or Roadblock, that is.
Can't wait for part three! When should we see it, Bob?
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Post by Bob on Jul 16, 2012 8:11:48 GMT -8
Yeah, I already had considered the conversation about Rabanastre, but when you mentioned it, I had other ideas for the conversation to add to it (things like Kuja's idea to cast Float), so I decided to do it.
I mentioned Part 3 on the main page. Estimating Wednesday, but we'll see. I'm not as far along as I thought I was, but I've got a couple days of being a homebody now, so I'll hopefully get some writing done.
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Post by Bob on Jul 20, 2012 12:34:05 GMT -8
It might be up late, but tonight should be the night. Tune in tonight to see the end to episode two!
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Post by Dale on Jul 20, 2012 20:18:28 GMT -8
Good! I've been waiting all week! But when? It's already pretty late now.
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Post by Bob on Jul 20, 2012 20:41:45 GMT -8
It'll still be awhile. Late is going to mean "before I go to bed," which could mean around midnight my time.
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Post by Fleck on Jul 21, 2012 2:15:47 GMT -8
Aw shucks, I was enjoying watching Kuja and Seymour race. But then again, everyone else is playing a very strategic game this season, so it's hardly like there's going to be a vacuum in strategy now that they are gone.
Anyway, my pointless little game against Statistical Precedence (aka "Statie") continues with another sound walloping on my part. With the elimination of Seymour/Kuja, Statie has now lost TWO of his final 3 in as many legs, racking up a total of 18 points of difference, combined with his failure last leg. Whereas I was much more hesitant about S/K, and was only off by one ranking. So that gives me 7 total points of difference, and a commanding early lead. However, it is interesting to note that while Statie has been horribly, horribly wrong so far, both teams were also the teams that Statie had the most trouble with, Galuf/Krile because of the lack of FF5 teams to offset Faris/Reina's Season 2 win, and S/K because 9 and 10 were such high-ranking games. Now that those two anomalies are gone, I think Statie is going to start pulling down some more reasonable numbers. Unless Bob is deliberately sabotaging Statie!
Dun dun DUNNNNNN
Anyway, my picks aren't changed TOO much from last time, but here they are.
10th = Scarlet/Heidegger Slipping comfortably back into last place, it's Team Fatslut. In terms of AFFR as a whole, these two are among the most conniving to ever play the game. However, seeing as how just about everyone is playing deep strategy at this point, their little schemes are more petty than threatening, and when they are stripped of any chance to use their strategy, they are left with nothing but their rather flimsy skills in challenges. Furthermore, I'm growing a bit bored of them. Amarant/Lani were much more compelling in the role of antagonist allies, and were much more physically capable. These two are just mean an incompetent.
9th = Kefka/Terra I still don't have much faith in these two, but by sheer force of will, they are scraping together a mediocre game. Or at least enough of a game to get them ahead of Team Fatslut.
8th = Edea/Seifer They are working together better than I thought they would, given the Ultimecia twist, but Seifer is becoming increasingly petulant and childish, which may not draw a target on their backs (I get the feeling that no one really considers them a true threat, more an annoyance), but certainly isn't winning them any allies.
7th = Laguna/Ellone These two are beginning to creep up in the ranks, largely because they are pretty much the only team this season who admit their faults and attempt to work around them. However, they still have a lot of faults, and there won't always be a workaround for them, so these two are probably not long for the race, unless they can secure an alliance, but with trust rapidly eroding in this race as more and more teams start backstabbing, their kindness is probably going to go unnoticed.
6th = Gabranth/Basch With two bad finishes in their homeworld, it becomes harder and harder to justify keeping these two high in my ranks. Although their relationship is somewhat adversarial, they do manage to work together fairly well, which I think will keep them afloat amid a season full of villains and broken team relationships. However, if they can't start pulling ahead of the pack and earning some high finishes, they won't break through to the end of the game.
5th = Zidane/Vivi Vivi's magic is doing a good job of not only compensating for his own weakness, but for Zidane's weakness as well. However, the big sticking point with these two is the fact that we've never really seen Vivi work on his own yet. He has always been under Zidane's guidance. And with Zidane racking up more and more Roadblocks, eventually Vivi is going to have to step up and work solo, which is going to be the ultimate test. If Vivi can stand on his own, then these two can make it far, but if Vivi falters, then they'll find themselves on the shortlist for elimination.
4th = Cid/Brother Can't argue with success. These two haven't had stellar finishes, but they're staying consistent and strong and playing a decent game. They aren't being quite as strategic as many of the other teams, but staying out of that particular quagmire might actually benefit them in the long run. As long as they can stay strong and stay out of trouble, they stand a good chance of keeping FF10's F5 or better streak alive.
My final three is completely unchanged, and my opinions thereof are also unchanged. It's five in the morning, the sun is rising, and I have work tomorrow.
3rd = Yang/Ursula 2nd = Fang/Vanille 1st = Lightning/Snow
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Post by Dale on Jul 21, 2012 3:36:15 GMT -8
Honestly, I can say with full conviction that I'd rather we lost either this leg's eighth- or ninth-place team instead of whom we actually lost, because I'm really not that invested in either one of their teams. Actually, the entire bottom two was lose-lose for me.
But anyway, here are my rankings for episode two:
1. Fang & Vanille: Still the tops for me, but now, with reservations. They took a big risk to go after the Fast Forward and get the Express Pass they should've taken the first leg. Their risk didn't pay off, and now, they're without a Fast Forward and have no Express Pass to show for it. (Not that I feel any sympathy for them -- Fang stupidly refused it the first time out of her own cockiness and Vanille stupidly agreed to it, so they wound up trying and failing to correct the mistake they shouldn't have made in the first place!) That said, I do think they've got the full package to complete their tasks quickly and efficiently, anyway. They have a good team dynamic and listen to constructive thoughts from each other, so I don't think they'll be in too much danger going forward. But they'd better not get into a situation where they wind up kicking themselves for either wasting their Fast Forward or for not taking the Express Pass, or else it's over for them. But in any case, I still have them in first.
2. Yang & Ursula: After two solid legs, I'm safely putting them up in second place. Now that Yang's not treating this as a training exercise, they're working together a lot better and getting their tasks done. In fact, they're kicking a lot of teams' asses. Their teamwork is incredible, and I don't see anyone matching their team dynamic except for Fang & Vanille. Right now, I think they can float under the radar while other teams don't notice them and go after each other instead, which I think will help them slide by all the way to the end of the race, but fall just short because they really seem to have nothing on Fang & Vanille.
3. Gabranth & Basch: I move them down yet again, in part due to this leg's performance and in part due to their team dynamic. They had yet another middle-of-the-pack leg by struggling at the Detour, and they seem to have tension between them over when the right time to take a risk might be. Maybe they'll calm down now that they don't have a "curse" to worry about. Still, despite the things I dinged them for, they clearly look like the most physical team, so that'll help them out in a pinch and hopefully elevate them up in the coming legs. So I have them in third place for their pure physicality alone.
4. Cid & Brother: Like Yang & Ursula, this is another team whom I think can float under the radar while the more volatile teams either self-destruct or target other teams. Cid & Brother seem to wisely stay out of any drama and just do their thing. I think Brother's only weak point will be girls, especially Ursula now that he's misconstrued her gestures. Still, I see them as easily outclassed by the top three teams on this list, so I have them only in fourth place.
5. Snow & Lightning: I move them up, but just barely. I'm going to give them a little bit of leeway due to how much better they did on this leg, but I still don't think they'll really go farther than this. Their team dynamic, while not as volatile as, say, Kefka & Terrra or Edea & Seifer, is still kinda shaky and tense, which doesn't work. But if Lightning can get a firm grip on the team and keep up her clever moves (like how she tricked Ursula at the Roadblock), she might be able to lift herself and Snow up to a high position. But due to the fact that I just see four teams as better overall, I'm putting them in fifth place.
6. Laguna & Ellone: I know they might seem like an odd choice to put here, but I'm getting a good feeling about them, especially after seeing their cleverness on this leg. Laguna was very observant to notice Gabranth & Basch not being with the herd searching through Rabanastre, and he was smarter still to think of heading off Gabranth & Basch and Kuja & Seymour at the pass in the Giza Plains. Also, Ellone did a surprisingly good job at the Roadblock in spite of getting caught once. I think this is another team who could fly under the radar (especially now that Kuja & Seymour are gone and can't get teams on their case for their sneakiness at the Shine Detour) and get to a decent ranking. But an overly physical task -- or even a navigation-based one -- will do them in eventually, and more will be the pity for it. So I'll put them in sixth place.
7. Scarlet & Heidegger: Kind of a rocky road for the next four places, but I do think they have a bit more going for them than the three teams below them. For one thing, they take their insults like it's normal for them, and they're at least able to listen to constructive thoughts or ideas from one another. And they're an overall clever team to obstruct Zidane & Vivi and Edea & Seifer's views with the foggy shot. Also, the low finish had nothing to do with Heidegger's physicality, so I feel safe enough keeping them up here. I think they can win out in a bottom two situation due to being proficient with mental tasks, and they'll outlast the weaker teams below them, but they'll fall out after they're gone, most likely due to a physical task on which Heidegger can't hack it. So they're in seventh place for me.
8. Zidane & Vivi: I really don't think they'll last too much longer unless Zidane does a hell of lot of Roadblocks. Zidane is easily deceived and is way too friendly and too much of a team player for his own good, as shown by saving Edea & Seifer from missing the flight when it was just an outright stupid move to do so. He at least realized at the end that he shouldn't have done it, but it was too little, too late. Also, while Vivi definitely proved a bit more of his mettle today (using his magic on the tree, spotting the bill on the Notice Board), I don't think he'll really, truly deliver when the chips are down and thus cause their downfall. That, and Zidane being way too trusting. So they'll survive a few more eliminations, but go out in eighth place.
9. Kefka & Terra: What they at least have on Edea & Seifer is their ability to put their differences aside and get things done, as shown with the Fast Forward. It might not last for very long, but at least this once, they managed to get on the same page and win the Fast Forward over Edea & Seifer. And even better, they have the Express Pass, to boot. But Fang's right that it'll likely only be a stay of execution for them since their overall dynamic is still fairly volatile. I don't see them surviving too many more legs after they use their Express Pass unless they really come together and cooperate like they did on this leg. So I have them down in ninth place.
10. Edea & Seifer: Well, I'm not thrilled by the "Edea is possessed by Ultimecia again" twist, but I'm going with it for now. Still, while I think they could pull it together now that Ultimecia, through Edea, will be more definitively calling the shots, I just don't think they'll win. And they shouldn't. They're still not working too well together (although their teamwork was better after the Ultimecia reveal), and now, the team they could've pretended to ally with is on to them. They'll be easy prey to eliminate at one point or another, and honestly, I won't be sad, because I don't think their pairing made much sense to begin with. They're in tenth place for me. Next to go, ideally.
11. Kuja & Seymour -- Eliminated on Leg 2: Like Gippal said, the last mixed team went out second, too, just like this team has. I was really bummed out by that, especially since they were so easily, handily, masterfully stirring shit up. Honestly, of the bottom two, I'd rather they have stuck around instead of Scarlet & Heidegger, who've only thrown fat and slut jokes at each other rather than be actively villainous. Alas, Kuja got way too wrapped up in getting rid of Zidane and lost sight of what was important. Also, I think the Detour especially tripped them up, especially due to Laguna & Ellone's trick (and Scarlet & Heidegger's own trick probably didn't help, either). I think their last chance to catch up was at the Roadblock, frankly, and Kuja messed that up big-time. Still, I really wish they were still in the race, because I doubt any of the other villain teams will keep things even half as interesting. Though perhaps Scarlet & Heidegger can at least give it a try.
12. Galuf & Krile -- Eliminated on Leg 1
But these are just my rankings. How about everyone else's?
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Post by Bob on Jul 21, 2012 22:11:47 GMT -8
ES tomorrow morning. Too tired to post tonight. End transmission.
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Post by Bob on Jul 29, 2012 7:40:03 GMT -8
Okay, opinions, people. I have episode 3 part 1 done (though it needs an edit), but the thing is, I probably won't get to part 2 for awhile. I'm beginning the moving process tomorrow and will be unavailable for probably several days. I'm trying to find out when I can have my internet moved to my new location, but the site is being stupid. Point is, part 2 might not go up for like...a week.
Still want part one, even if it's like, another week, maybe more for part 2?
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Post by Fleck on Jul 29, 2012 8:27:06 GMT -8
Can't you, like, write Part 2 down and mail it to us?
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Post by Bob on Jul 29, 2012 9:25:01 GMT -8
Sure. You want it written by hand, right? College-ruled okay?
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Post by Dale on Jul 29, 2012 10:40:34 GMT -8
This week. As long as I know it'll be at least a week (if not slightly more), I can handle the wait. It's when an update ends up being later than the projected date that I get more furious. But if warned ahead of time, I can handle it. So I can take it this week while waiting a week (again, if not slightly more) for part two. Or I can take it E-mailed to me.
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Post by Bob on Jul 29, 2012 11:34:55 GMT -8
Heh, well, e-mail wouldn't work if I have no internet, but jokes aside, I'm thinking that's what I'll do.
Okay, so I badly need some food now, then gonna do some packing, then I'll edit and post. Can't guarantee a time, but I'll have it up today/tonight. Next episode will be up when I have time and internet.
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Post by Dale on Jul 30, 2012 0:42:49 GMT -8
Liking the way part one is going. I'm sorry to have to say this, but after enjoying them initially, I wouldn't be that upset if Zidane & Vivi left. I liked both of them very much in 9, but neither's likability is translating very well in AFFR, for some reason. Of course, there's always a chance they can catch up, but I think this outcast storyline for them would make the most sense if they'd just get an early-to-mid-race boot.
Huh. I'd expected Bob to write either Gabranth & Basch as showing relief that they've officially escaped the "curse" since they left Ivalice. Can't believe he missed a chance to write that.
Now, if I were a newer reader, I'd be fooled easily by the cliffhanger ending of part one. But I've been into this "show" since '06, so I'm no fool. Heidegger seems to think the only options regarding the Fast Forward are a.) taking it themselves to block Zidane & Vivi from getting it, and b.) leaving it for them and risking elimination due to their position and lack of equalizers (that they ran into). However, I'll bet Scarlet is thinking of an outside-the-box c.) option -- manipulating Gabranth & Basch, who are right there at the clue box with them, to go for the Fast Forward instead and get it for themselves, or possibly even fight it out with Zidane & Vivi should they go for it, leaving the losing team to at least still be behind Scarlet & Heidegger.
I mean, just think of it. Gabranth & Basch get it, with or without Zidane & Vivi fighting them for it, the only other cannon fodder team is left trailing unless they get a really good break. Plus, an alpha-male team has blown their only Fast Forward early on. Or Zidane & Vivi get it, and Scarlet & Heidegger might have a bit more of a problem with staying ahead of Gabranth & Basch, but hopefully (for them), not too much of one since Zidane & Vivi appear to be greatly trailing right now (currently, they're the only team still in FF12 while everyone else has moved on to CC). Either way, Scarlet & Heidegger turned the tables in their favor without losing their Fast Forward advantage early on.
Of course, now that I've said it, watch me be wrong and see it turn out that they really do just choose between options a.) and b.). :-P
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